The Australian Centre for AI in Marketing (ACAM) has unveiled a vision for how marketing teams will evolve in the era of artificial intelligence, arguing that AI anxiety can become a catalyst for transformation rather than replacement.
Launched in partnership with Adobe at SXSW Sydney, ACAM’s Marketing Team of the Future whitepaper reframes marketer uncertainty around AI as an opportunity to return to marketing’s core purpose: driving growth, creativity and trust.
The paper draws on research and insights from ACAM’s AI Pioneers network – a group of senior marketers from major Australian brands – to provide a blueprint for how marketing roles, skills and culture will shift by 2027.
‘The future belongs to those willing to reinvent’
Douglas Nicol, ACAM co-founder, said AI anxiety among marketers was both real and understandable, but also a necessary starting point for reinvention.
“AI anxiety is real and understandable, but it’s also the beginning of transformation,” Nicol said. “The key is not to fear substitution, but to embrace reinvention. The future of marketing belongs to those willing to upskill, experiment and build new human and AI partnerships that enhance creativity and performance.”
He added that AI would enable marketing teams to return to their “intended centre of gravity” – driving growth and lowering the cost of sale – by removing the burden of excessive process and administration. “The most successful marketing teams by 2027 will not just use AI, they will orchestrate it,” he said.
Nine guiding principles for future-ready marketing teams
The whitepaper identifies nine principles for building future-ready teams, emphasising that marketers must evolve culturally as well as technically. These include:
• Prioritising customer outcomes over tools
• Fostering psychological safety and curiosity within teams
• Redefining roles through human–AI collaboration rather than replication
• Embedding data strategy and governance as foundational disciplines
It also highlights new disciplines expected to emerge by 2027, such as predictive brand strategy, AI-driven consumer research, explainable media buying, Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), and hyper-personalised, real-time engagement at scale.
Marketers as ‘AI conductors’ and ‘trust guardians’
The report defines three essential “superpowers” for marketers of the future:
• Marketing fundamentals and commercial acumen – human judgment and empathy remain critical to driving growth.
• AI literacy and orchestration – marketers must act as AI conductors, blending technology across creative, data, media and operations.
• Ethical and risk governance – marketers will serve as brand trust guardians, navigating bias, copyright, misinformation and data privacy.
According to the United Nations Labour Report 2025, just 3.3 per cent of jobs globally are at high risk of having most tasks automated by generative AI. While marketing may be more affected than average, the ACAM paper stresses that transformation – not obsolescence – should be the focus.
Adobe: ‘AI is redefining what’s possible’
Duncan Egan, vice president of enterprise marketing, APAC & Japan, Adobe, said the whitepaper reflects how AI is empowering, not replacing, marketers.
“This moment isn’t about disruption. AI is redefining what’s possible, empowering teams to move faster, think bigger, and connect more deeply with their audiences,” Egan said. “By embracing AI, marketers free themselves to lead with storytelling and strategy, unlocking growth opportunities for themselves and their organisation.”
Building the next generation of AI-ready marketers
In August, ACAM announced a three-year strategic supporter agreement with Adobe to expand its educational programs for marketers across Australia. The initiative aims to provide practical, values-driven AI education grounded in creativity, ethics and customer understanding.
Top image: ACAM founders Louise Cummins, Douglas Nicol, Jodie Sangster and Rochelle Tognetti at the launch of ACAM’s Marketing Team of the Future at Adobe this morning.